Woodward discards Henson and plays English cards

Should the British and Irish Lions fail to win the upcoming series against New Zealand, Sir Clive Woodward can expect little sympathy from Wales. By omitting Gavin Henson from his plans for the first Test he has ousted Anne Robinson as the principality's public enemy No1 and exploded the traditional Lions maxim that tour form outweighs reputation.

Neither has a single Scot made Woodward's squad for Saturday's first Test at Jade Stadium, with 13 Englishmen, six Welshmen and four Irishmen left to jostle for a place in the starting XV to be announced on Wednesday. Will Greenwood's selection above Henson is the biggest shock, with three other members of Wales's grand slam-winning team - Michael Owen, Martyn Williams and Tom Shanklin - also relegated to dirt-tracker status in Invercargill tomorrow.

There is at least some consolation for Welsh fans with the inclusion of Ryan Jones, the fast-emerging Ospreys flanker who flew out as replacement for the injured Simon Taylor and is now set to be involved on Saturday after a barn-storming Lions debut against Otago. Shane Williams, the twinkling wing, is also in the mix alongside his compatriots Gareth Thomas, Stephen Jones, Dwayne Peel and Gethin Jenkins.

It is the absence of Henson's name, however, which rates as the biggest selectorial bombshell Woodward has dropped since naming his original squad in April, although the head coach was quick to point out that the 22 not picked for the first Test would still be in contention for the second and third. "I am very confident with this group of players and the Test series will be won or lost by 45 players," he said. "How the non-Test 22 react this week will be very important. Just because you are not picked this week there are still two Tests to go and there is time for players to come through."

The 23-year-old Henson, who looked defensively strong and full of running against Wellington last week, has lost out to Greenwood, who is on his third Lions tour without so far playing a Test. The Harlequins centre, who almost died in a Lions jersey on the 1997 South Africa tour when his head slammed into a hard pitch in Bloemfontein, now looks odds-on to start unless Woodward produces the mother of all surprises and selects Jonny Wilkinson at No12.

Even Greenwood himself would concede that he has not set the world alight since returning from shoulder surgery. He was unable to prevent Quins being relegated from the Premiership and, despite being an integral part of Woodward's World Cup-winning squad, has not started a Test for England in 15 months. He will be 33 this autumn, giving him a decade's start on his younger rival.

It has been a bad week for Wales's answer to Posh 'n' Becks, with Charlotte Church describing herself as knackered following her 72-hour sojourn with her boyfriend Henson between training sessions in New Zealand last week. Woodward is declining to comment on individual selections, let alone his players' love lives, until he formally unveils his squad of 22 but his rugby rationale is two-fold.

Henson and the Lions captain and fellow centre Brian O'Driscoll, who are both individually talented footballers, have not dovetailed especially well and Jonny Wilkinson also failed to strike up a rapport with the Welshman in the Wellington rain last week. It is a moot point whether Henson was to blame but, having enjoyed a hitherto decent game, he was hauled off with 20 minutes left to accommodate Wilkinson's experimental switch to centre.

Henson took the news of his omission stoically. "Obviously everyone wants to play in the Tests, so there is bound to be some disappointment at not being selected for the first Test," he said. "Competition was always going to be fierce and this is a squad full of world-class players. The challenge now is to play to the best of my ability, keep challenging and keep learning from the experience."

With Gordon D'Arcy enduring a lean tour and Wilkinson's own form a slight concern, Greenwood's selection owes much to his familiarity with Wilkinson and the simultaneous need to set O'Driscoll free. The Irishman is one of the Lions' key men; Greenwood, for his part, is among the most creative and sympathetic of passers. In that respect it is just possible to see where Woodward is coming from.

Plumping for experience was also a crucial plank of Woodward's World Cup success but he is now taking that ideal to questionable lengths. Jason Robinson has not scored a try for club or country since January 2, yet still gets the nod in the back three ahead of Geordan Murphy, the most inventive Lions' back on this tour so far.

The grizzled Graham Rowntree, who ironically missed the final cut prior to the World Cup, has also slipped in ahead of the less battle-hardened Andrew Sheridan, despite the latter's immense promise. Matt Dawson, similarly, has nipped in front of Chris Cusiter at scrum-half. The inclusion of Ireland's Shane Horgan may surprise some but Woodward likes big, strong outside backs capable of covering more than one position.

Despite overlooking Henson, Owen, Martyn Williams and Shanklin, Woodward insists he still rates the Welsh and has installed Owen as his captain against Southland tomorrow. "I'm not surprised they won the grand slam . . . to a man they've been fantastic to work with," he said. "There will be a very strong Welsh representation in the Test team. There are also three more midweek games to go and plenty of time for players to come through. I wasn't involved in any of the four Test matches on the 1983 Lions tour but I like to think I remained strong and didn't let anyone down."